Summer Internationals: Kick-off times, dates and how to watch for each series

Plenty of international series are starting this weekend, marking the official first weekend of the summer schedule. 

Some nations have already played games in various capacities, but now it is time for the biggest games this summer to begin. 

Scotland kick-off their tour of the Pacific Islands, Wales have their first Test against Japan, and England start off their tour of the Americas against an Argentina side fresh off beating the British and Irish Lions. 

In Lions news, Australia will play their final game before the series against Fiji in the early hours of Sunday morning, giving Joe Schmidt one last chance to decide his team. 

Here, Charlie Elliott gives a rundown of the series starting this weekend, when they are and where you can watch them. 

WATCH THE RUGBY PAPER ROUNDUP HERE

Scotland’s Pacific tour 

Scotland’s 2025 Summer Tour will see the national team face the Māori All Blacks, Fiji and Samoa. It will be their first visit to New Zealand in 25 years. 

The tour begins on Saturday against the Māori All Blacks. This will be just the third time the sides have played. The first meeting was in 1998 at Murrayfield, followed by a close match in New Plymouth in 2000, which the Māori won 18-15. 

Scotland will then travel to Fiji to play in Suva on Saturday 12 July. It will be their first game there since 2017, when Fiji won during Gregor Townsend’s first summer tour as head coach.

Scotland have won both meetings since then, including a 57-17 victory at Murrayfield in 2024. 

The final fixture is against Samoa at Eden Park on Friday 18 July. Scotland won 34-0 in their last meeting in 2019, but past encounters have often been close. 

The tour also provides opportunities for new players to earn international experience with many of the stars away with the British and Irish Lions. 

Maori All Blacks: 5/7/25, 4:35 am BST (Semenoff Stadium, Whangarei), Sky Sports Main Event / Action 

Fiji: 12/7/25, 4am BST (HFC Bank Stadium, Suva), TBC 

Samoa: 18/7/25, 9:05am BST (Eden Park, Auckland), TBC 

Wales v Japan 

Wales return to Japan this summer for a two-Test tour that begins this Saturday, marking the first meeting between the sides since 2013.  

With the British and Irish Lions touring Australia, this is an early summer assignment for a Wales squad short on senior names but full of players looking to make their mark. 

While only two players are on the Lions tour (one now with Tomos Williams’ injury), interim head coach Matt Sherratt has opted to bring in some fresh faces. 

Wales have faced Japan 14 times and won 13 of those matches. Japan’s only victory came in that 2013 encounter in Tokyo, where a side coached by Eddie Jones won 23-8.  

Since then, both teams have gone through plenty of changes.  

Wales are currently on a record 17-game losing streak and sit 12th in the world rankings, just one spot above Japan. 

The first Test is in Kitakyushu on 5 July, followed by the second in Kobe on 12 July.  

While much of the focus is on building for the future, Wales will be hungry for a result to put an end to their recent misery. 

First Test: 5/7/25, 5am BST (Mikuni World Stadium, Kitakyushu), BBC One Wales 

Second Test: 12/7/2, 5am BST (Noevir Stadium, Kobe), S4C 

New Zealand v France 

France head to New Zealand this summer with a squad that is short on experience and missing many of their regular starters.  

Gael Fickou will lead the group, which includes 28 players with fewer than 10 caps. The Racing 92 centre has 94 caps and is one of the few seasoned internationals in the side. 

Coach Fabien Galthie has named 37 players for the three-Test series on 5, 12 and 19 July.  

The squad could grow after the Top 14 final between Toulouse and Bordeaux-Begles, with some players potentially joining later depending on their playing time this season. 

France will be without several key names such as Gregory Alldritt, Paul Boudehent and Jean-Baptiste Gros and of course Antoine Dupont, who are either injured or being rested.  

Some senior players like Romain Ntamack and Damian Penaud could still be added. 

France have not beaten the All Blacks in New Zealand since 2009. This tour will be a big test for a young group who may not be called upon when facing European opponents. 

First Test: 5/7/25, 8:05am BST (Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin), FloRugby 

Second Test: 12/7/25, 8:05am BST (Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington), FloRugby 

Third Test: 19/7/25, 8:05am BST (Waikato Stadium, Hamilton), FloRugby 

England’s Americas series 

England head to the Americas to face Argentina in two Tests, before heading north and facing the USA in a one-off game. 

Steve Borthwick’s side have already had a game to forget this summer, with a disappointing 26-24 defeat against France XV for an England XV side made up almost entirely by players travelling to Argentina. 

In contrast, Los Pumas have had an extremely positive start to their summer, surprising a lot of people and beating the Lions in Dublin before the tour to Australia. 

With the edge in the World Rankings (5th compared to England’s 6th) and home advantage, the two-Test series could be a difficult one for Borthwick and co. 

With plenty of stars away on Lions duty, it will be a chance for some fringe players to step up and potentially make their mark on the England team for future campaigns. 

Argentina first Test: 5/7/25, 8:40pm BST (Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi, La Plata), Sky Sports Action 

Second Test: 12/7/25, 8:40pm BST (Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, San Juan), Sky Sports Action 

USA Test: 19/7/25, 11pm BST (Audi Field, Washington D.C), RugbyPass TV 

Australia v Fiji 

For those Lions fans interested in viewing the Test opposition, the Wallabies play this weekend against Fiji as a warm-up game. 

It will be their final game before facing the Lions in a few weeks and will be a final opportunity for Joe Schmidt to work out what his Test 23 is going to be. 

While performances in training can always influence selection, showing up in matches is what Schmidt is likely to consider more. 

While it is an early start, it does provide a good chance to get the lowdown on the Wallabies. 

6/7/25, 4:30am BST (McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle), Sky Sports Action 

READ MORE: Rugby’s Social Media Moments of the Week – Toulouse and Bordeaux produce all-time final